2014 marks the 75th anniversary of MGM’s The Wizard of Oz, and the folks behind a new animated sequel are hoping you’ll want to celebrate with a return trip. The new Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Returntrailer promises more action and adventure, as the plucky Kansan heroine (voiced by Lea Michele) is whisked back to the Emerald City once more.

When she arrives, she learns that the land is being taken over by the cruel Jester (Martin Short), and that she is Oz’s only hope for salvation. So she joins forces with her old pals — including the Scarecrow (Dan Aykroyd), the Tin Man (Kelsey Grammer), and the Lion (Jim Belushi) — to fight back, making some new friends along the way. Watch the video after the jump.

It’s been nearly seventy-five years since MGM released The Wizard of Oz, and over a century since L. Frank Baum first published the book it was based on, but the story is showing no signs of losing its power. Last year saw the release of a big-budget prequel, Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful, and next year we’re getting an (unrelated) animated sequel called Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return.

Lea Michele voices the Kansas-born heroine, who — as the title suggests — comes back to Oz and finds herself caught in another colorful adventure. She re-teams with her old friends the Scarecrow (Dan Aykroyd), the Tin Man (Kelsey Grammer), and the no-longer-cowardly Lion (Jim Belushi) to fight a new foe, an angry Jester (Martin Short) who wants control of Oz. Watch the trailer after the jump.

In part because of the runaway success of Alice in Wonderland, a story like The Wizard of Oz is hot stuff in Hollywood right now. So there are loads of Oz-related projects in the works: Disney’s Oz, the Great and Powerful, to be directed by Sam Raimi with Robert Downey, Jr. starring; the Polish Brothers’Oz; a Wizard of Oz sequel called Surrender Dorothypotentially to be directed by Drew Barrymore; and the animated Dorothy of Oz.

We’ve now got a set of character sketches for the animated film, which at the very least demonstrate that it won’t be subject to any unsavory ‘dark fantasy’ whims. For that reason alone I’m willing to think about giving it a shot. Read More »